Sharing your thoughts is easy, but giving someone constructive criticism about their job performance or their quality of work is difficult. Instead of just telling someone that you disagree or dislike their work, if you give them valuable feedback that helps them improve, they're more likely to take it to heart.

Jacob Share, writing for the Personal Branding Blog, explains that the perfect formula for constructive criticism is to first establish your credibility, toss in a compliment (if you wish,) outline your actual concerns and why you feel the way you do, and finish up with ways you think the work can be improved. He also notes that it's important to offer a way to follow up: for many people, knowing that you're not just trashing them and walking away makes all the difference between them taking your advice seriously.

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Plus, if you make sure to follow up, or at least let them follow up if they wish, you put yourself in a position where your judgment and opinion can be trusted. Ultimately, you're doing yourself and the other person a favor by explaining why you feel the way you do instead of just telling them how you feel. How do you share your criticism with others if you want them to actually listen to you? How do you prefer people approach you with ways you can improve? Share your thoughts below. Photo by Gangplank HQ.